That Day
by carebear044
Summary: That one day changed her life. That one day led to two other fateful days. Days that will never be erased from her memory.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: Don't own HSM or any of the characters in the movie.**

**AN: Okay so after my first fanfic was a disaster I decided to write about experiences more close to me. So this story is about an experience I can relate to more than you will ever know. **

That one day changed her life forever.

And now she is going to tell all about that day.

First off, I am Gabriella Montez. I am 19 years old and just finished High School last year. My Senior Graduation was supposed to be perfect. Everything in my life was going just the way it was supposed to for any senior student. I had good grades, an amazing boyfriend, a wonderful family and awesome friends. And it was perfect, until that day.

It started out like any other Saturday morning. I had just gone over to my boyfriend's house because I was planning on spending the day with him. When I got there he was still asleep so I got the wonderful pleasure of waking him up. Note the sarcasm. He was an 18 year old boy; of course he didn't want to wake up on a Saturday morning. Anyways, once I woke him up he grabbed so clean clothes and went into the bathroom to shower.

I sat in his room looking around like I had many times before until I heard some banging coming from the bathroom. The shower wasn't even running yet but this banging just wouldn't stop. I got up and knocked on the door.

"Troy?"

No Answer.

"Troy?" I asked again more nervous. Troy's mother Lucille must have heard the banging to because next thing I new she was beside me also knocking on the door.

"TROY!!" We both kept yelling his name until we realized that something must be wrong. Lucille yelled at me to grab something to get the door open so I went to Troy's room and searched frantically for anything, anything that would open the door. And that's when I heard it. The sound that will haunt me for ever. It was the most bloodcurdling scream anyone could ever imagine. The scream of a mother finding her only son unconscious on his bathroom floor with lips turning bluer every second. As soon as I rejoined Lucille by the bathroom I almost fainted at the sight.

"CALL 911!!" Lucille screamed into my ear.

I responded instantly and flew to the nearest phone faster than I have ever gone before. I picked up the receiver and dialed 3 numbers. 3 numbers that I never imagined I would have to dial. As soon as I heard a voice on the other end of the receiver I scream "AMBULENCE" as loud as I could possibly. I kept screaming the same word over and over until the dispatcher had to ask me questions. I don't remember any of the questions or my answers. But it less than 60seconds the ambulance was there and I was crying harder than I ever had before. Troy, my Troy was being carried out on a stretcher with blue lips and no movement in his upper torso. The paramedics were working frantically but had to get him to the hospital.

Lucille decided to go with them and I said I would stay at the house until Mr. Bolton got home. The truth was I didn't want to go to the hospital. I didn't want to see my boyfriend in that state. It scared me and I didn't want to face the truth. So I curled up on the couch I had watched many movies on before and I cried. I cried harder than the time I broke my arm, harder than the time my parents got divorced, harder than ever.

I cried for a long time, until my eyes were dried up and my throat was raw. Mr. Bolton still hadn't come home and I felt sick. My stomach was sore and my head was pounding. But it wasn't a normal sick, this was different. A sick I have never felt before and cannot explain. I thought going to the hospital would make me more upset but when I felt that sickness take over my body I knew I needed to see him. I grabbed Troy's car keys and got into the familiar car before driving as fast as the speed limit would allow me to the hospital.

When I reached the hospital I saw Lucille walking out of a hospital room with tears in her eyes. She brushed past me without saying a word and that's when my heart started to beat faster than it already was. I flew to the door I just saw Lucille leave and was instantly relieved when I saw Troy there sitting up with colour back in his face. A smile was instantly put on my face and that sickness was instantly drained from my body as I ran over to my boyfriend and put my arms around him and kissed him. It was a kiss unlike any kiss we had ever shared. This kiss was full of worry, relief, and the feeling that he could've been taken away from me at any time. As I pulled back I noticed Troy had cuts and bruises all over. Why? Well I didn't know yet.

Troy was alright, and as far as I could tell everything was good. But then why was Lucille crying when I arrived?

"What happened Troy?" I asked knowing that I would have to find out sooner or later even if I just wanted to make this moment last.

Worry overcame my body again when I noticed the look Troy had on his face.

"Troy? Tell me."

He let out a tried sigh. "Well, this morning I had a grand maul seizure. They are the most severe type of seizure. That would explain the banging you heard. The cuts and bruises are the results of the seizure."

"So that's it, you just had a seizure? So you are okay now?" I knew this was wrong, but I said it in pure hope of making myself feel better and making reality disappear.

"Not exactly."

"What do you mean not exactly?"

"Well, they did an MRI and it turns out…." Troy stopped talking

"What?" My voice was now shaking with fear.

"I have a brain tumor."

That was it. You would think any normal person would break down and cry at the news of their boyfriend having a brain tumor. But I didn't. Nope, I must have still been dry of tears from earlier that day. By now it was probably past noon.

"Oh….um…okay" I had no idea what to say. Too many thoughts were running through my mind. But all negative thoughts stopped instantly when I felt Troy's soothing touch on my arm. I turned and looked into his eyes.

"I'm going to be alright" He said with a reassuring voice. I believed him.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: Don't own HSM or any of its characters.**

**AN: I don't know if I mentioned this or not but this is going to be a three shot. So, let's get to it!**

**

* * *

**

After finding out Troy had a brain tumor I spent all day just being with him. We didn't talk about that morning or his tumor. We just had a nice day together. I stayed with him and Lucille until they discharged him and we got to take him home. By that time it was getting late and we were all exhausted. To make matters worse, our Graduation was Monday. So after saying goodbye to Troy and being thanked by Lucille, I went home.

As so as I arrived home I went to find my mom. My mom and I are very close, we share everything together. The second I locked eyes on my mom the tears started flowing. Everything I had learned about Troy and his tumor was finally catching up with me and there was no stopping it. My mom instantly came to my side and comforted me while I began to tell her the whole story between sobs.

After telling her I could tell that she didn't know what to say. But I didn't need her to say anything; all I needed was to feel her hand rubbing my back while I let my emotions run free.

* * *

I spent all day Sunday with Troy, but the whole time I was scared that he would have a seizure again while I was with him and I would have to go through it all again. I tried to push that thought to the back of my head as best as I could. Troy was on medication to stop him from having seizures but that still didn't stop my thoughts. I managed to get through the whole day with little worry but deep down I was scared shitless. The doctor told us that Troy would have to skip Graduation because his body was still exhausted from the previous day's events.

So now it was Graduation and I was sitting at school in my robe with no one to hold my hand or to dance with me. All day different teachers kept coming up to me saying things like:

"Oh, well my uncle had a brain tumor and he's fine"

Or

"My cousin had a brain tumor the size of a banana and they didn't even have to remove it"

Remove it? I didn't even think of that. Was Troy going to have to have brain surgery? It was just more worrying to add to me on-going list.

The gang was really supportive. They didn't understand how I was feeling exactly because they didn't witness what I did, but they were still really worried. I managed to get through graduation and the dance only feeling slight pangs of pain when they called Troy's name to get his diploma and again when they announced the athletic award he had won for being basketball captain.

* * *

A week after graduation was Troy's first appointment with the specialist. I came with him to this appointment and the many that followed. At this first appointment the doctor told us that indeed Troy was going to have to undergo brain surgery at the end of the summer. All summer there were countless appointment for Troy and I attended every single one. Troy didn't hang out with many people that summer because although they wouldn't admit it they were scared to be around him incase he had another seizure. I understood where they were coming from, but for me it was scarier to not be with him. It was strange for Troy; he went from being one of the most popular people in school to only having me and his family to hang out with.

Although the whole experience was too much for me to take in, I didn't shed one tear since that day I cried with my mom. For some reason I felt I had to be strong for Troy. I guess it was because he never cried or talked about it either. It never showed any signs of being scared or worried so I guess that just made me think that I shouldn't be scared or worried either so I suppressed all my feelings.

Suppressing my feelings was working pretty well until about 2 weeks before Troy's scheduled surgery. I was sitting at home after going to an appointment with Troy. My mom came to ask me how it went and I just lost it. It wasn't even just hysteric crying; it was a full blown panic attack. I was crying, hyperventilating, screaming, everything all in one. What got to me was the fact that this all just came up with no warning. It could've happened to anyone and I was scared that it would happen to someone else I loved. I was also scared Troy would die. My mom tried her hardest to calm me down but nothing was going to work because after a whole summer of suppressed emotions I had to let it all out.

After my panic attack, everything just felt better. I was still terrified for Troy but it was easier now to understand what I was feeling, and I learned at that moment that even though hiding your emotions may feel like the right thing to do that letting them out feels so much better. I didn't tell Troy about my panic attack because I didn't want him to worry about me. So in a way I had just gone back to the way it was before expect this time I hid my feelings knowing it was wrong.

The next two week continued as the rest of the summer had with countless doctor appointments and needles for Troy. It was strange to think that at the beginning of the summer medical stuff and hospitals seemed like a foreign language to me and then a mere two months later it was all too familiar.

* * *

**AN: Okay so I know this chapter is kind of short and boring but it is needed for you to get the whole effect of this story. The next chapter will be more interesting because it is the final one meaning you can only guess what is going to take place. Thanks for reading. This story hits close to home. **


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: Don't own HSM or any of its characters**

**AN: Okay, the chapter that finishes it all. This chapter might end up being the longest because there is a lot to fit in, but I don't know for sure yet because I haven't written it, so here I go:**

**

* * *

**

It was the night before the surgery. My mom said I could spend the night at Troy's so I could be with him before his surgery. We had a great night. Everything was just like we were hanging out before any of this happened. It was the perfect night until we went to go to sleep and were lying in his bed.

I looked over at Troy who had his eyes closed. "Troy?"

"Yeah babe?" He responded with his eyes still closed.

"Are you scared?" This caused his eyes to open and lock on mine.

"What?"

"Are you scared?"

"Why would you ask that?"

"Because Troy, I'm scared. I'm terrified. We haven't said a thing all summer about how we are feeling and I don't want you to go into surgery until I know how you are feeling."

He let out a sigh before wrapping his arms around me.

"Yes"

"Yes?"

"Yes, I am scared. Who wouldn't be? I mean its brain surgery! I'm terrified. I'm not ready to die."

That last sentence really got me. He thought he was going to die?

"You aren't going to die Troy."

"But how do you know that? People die during brain surgery"

"Yeah but not you. You aren't going to die because you aren't done living yet. You are only 18 and I'm not going to let you die. There is no way you are leaving me. That's why you aren't going to die."

A smile spread across Troy's face as a lone tear fell from his eye. That was one of the best moments I had ever spent with Troy. I got him to open up his feelings. And as strange as it sounds, hearing him say he was scared to die brought me some comfort. After our talk we fell asleep with our arms wrapped around each other. Although the next day would bring sadness and fear, for that moment we were in our own little world and nothing bad was going to happen.

* * *

I woke up due to the absence of the strong arms around me and looked over at the clock to see it was 5am. I turned over to see Troy standing above me fully clothed.

"What's up?" I asked him.

"I gotta go soon."

"What?" I had completely forgotten about his surgery.

"Yeah, I have to be there for 5:30"

"Oh, just let me get dressed." I said as I took the covers off of me only to be stopped by Troy.

"No, you sleep. Then wake up, shower, eat, all that stuff. Then you can come to the hospital."

"Troy I want to be there before you go in."

"I know, but I'd prefer if you had some more rest, plus you won't miss much, just some waiting."

"And those last few minutes before you go in." I really wanted to go.

"Please just go to sleep Gabriella. For me?"

"Alright…" I said in defeat. Troy turned to leave.

"Wait!" I yelled after him. He turned and looked at me with a curious face. I jumped out of bed and placed the most passionate kiss I have ever given anyone upon his lips. He responded with a kiss just as passionate if not more.

"You didn't think you could leave without a kiss did you?" Troy chuckled.

"Gabriella?" He asked soothingly with his arms still wrapped around me.

"Yeah?"

"I love you. I just need you to remember that okay? I love you more than anything."

Tears started to stream down my face. He had never said that to me before.

"I love you too." Tears were streaming down Troy's face too.

One last lingering kiss and he was gone. I went back to his room and tried to sleep but it wasn't working so I got up and got ready to go to the hospital.

6 hours. That's how long the surgery was. Most people would read or something for six hours, but not me. I just sat there staring at nothing. I couldn't even eat. It was the longest 6 hours of my life. I can't even begin to describe the way I was feeling in those six hours until about hour 5 when the phone in the waiting room rang and the nurse motioned for me to come over.

"Are you waiting for Troy Bolton?"

"Yes…" I was scared. Did something happen? Is he alright?

The nurse handed me the phone.

"Hello?"

"Hello, this is Doctor Shane. I am currently in the operating room with Troy Bolton."

"Yes…"

"I was just calling to say that everything is going great and we should only be a bit over an hour."

"Really?" A wave of relief rippled through my body.

"Yes, now I must return."

I handed the phone back to the nurse. He was alright. It was almost over. As soon as Mr. and Mrs. Bolton came back to the waiting room I told them what the Doctor had said and they too were relieved.

A little over an hour later the nurse informed us that Troy was out of surgery and in the Critical Care unit and that people could go in two at a time to see him. Mr. and Mrs. Bolton went first but I just couldn't wait. I was so fidgety and still scared. That sickness I had felt the day Troy had his seizure had returned but this time I knew that the only thing that could take it away was to see Troy's face. After a while Mr. and Mrs. Bolton came back and said I could go see him.

I walked in to the Critical Care unit and noticed all the sad, tired, hurt bodies in the beds around the room. I didn't focus on these other people very long because I spotted Troy lying in a bed. He had a white turban like thing wrapped around his head. He looked so drained and tired. His eyes were closed but the instant I lightly touched his arm they opened up and a small amount of life came back into his face. He smiled faintly.

"Hey" I said softly.

"Hey", he responded in a voice that just proved my earlier theory that he was drained of all energy.

I stood at the side of his bed just watching him for a while until a nurse came over to me and told me that I had to leave now and that Troy would have his own room tomorrow and I could see him then. I said bye and place a light kiss on Troy's check before returning to my own home.

Although the worst was over I still wasn't feeling like myself. I was still slow, and sad looking. There was still the matter of finding out if they got the entire tumor out and if it was cancerous or not. I didn't think about that yet though, all I thought about is that this actually happened. I found it hard to believe but there was no denying it now.

* * *

Troy recovered fast. The nurses even pointed it out. I had spent every day in the hospital from visiting hour open to visiting hour close. The white turban was taken off his head the day he got his own room and that was when we got to see the large question mark shaped scar that would remain on his body forever like an unwanted tattoo. They had to shave Troy's hair in that spot so it was clearly visible and it would stay that way until his hair grows back. Troy spent most of his time sleeping and gaining his energy back so I spent most of my time watching him sleep. Nurses kept pointing out to me that I could go out for a couple hours and he wouldn't notice because he was a sleep. But any time I even left Troy's room to go to the bathroom I felt that familiar sickness. The sickness that comes only when someone I love needs me.

On Troy's fifth day in the hospital he had an MRI to check to see if they got the entire tumor. The results were back within an hour and we had found out that he was completely tumor free. That was a good day. Troy even had most of his energy back by then. On the seventh day he got to go home. It was all over. The seventh day was the same day the Tumor Research Foundation called Troy's parents and told us that it wasn't cancerous.

That was the worst summer of my life. I remember every little detail about everything. I remember exactly how I felt at every appointment and every moment. It is a summer I will never forget. But one thing that still gets me is that so many people go all there life without ever having to face something scary like this. But even though I wish it never happened, I find that now I have a better outlook on life and am a stronger person.

It is now almost a year since this all happened. Troy's hair has grown back and hidden his scar and anyone who met him would never know that he had a brain tumor. Troy and I are still dating and our relationship is better than ever. And I'm loving life.

* * *

**AN: So, there you go, told you it would be longer than the last two. I hope you liked it. **


End file.
